Department for Culture, Media and Sport

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking in response to the draft recommendation of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee ReportConvention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage, published on 4 July, whichrecommends reconsideration of their proposal to build a Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: We take our responsibilities under the UNESCO World Heritage Convention seriously and look forward to discussing the report at the World Heritage Committee meeting in September.My Department will continue to work with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities and The Royal Parks to ensure that the open space and heritage of Victoria Tower Gardens are preserved for future generations, and that the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre maintains the Outstanding Universal Value of the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church World Heritage Site.

Ministry of Justice

Political Exposed Persons: Bribery and Money Laundering

Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many members of (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons, designated as politically exposed persons within the terms of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and its successor legislation have been (a) investigated, (b) prosecuted and, (c) convicted in relation to offences of money laundering or bribery in each of the past five years.

Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many family members of those members of (1) the House of Lords, and (2) the House of Commons, who are designated as politically exposed persons within the terms of the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 and its successor legislation have been (a) investigated, (b) prosecuted and, (c) convicted in relation to offences of money laundering or bribery in each of the past five years.

Lord Mancroft: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people are designated as politically exposed persons in the UK; and how many relevant convictions for money laundering and/or bribery offences there have been since the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 were enacted.

Lord Bellamy: The Ministry of Justice publishes information on prosecutions and convictions for money laundering and/or bribery offences in the Outcomes by Offence data tool including offences as set out in the Offence Group Classification. This can be found via the following link: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: December 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).However, it is not possible to establish whether the defendant is a member of the House of Lords or House of Commons, as this information is not held centrally in the Courts Proceeding Database. This information may be held on court records but to examine individual court records would be of disproportionate costs. The Government does not maintain a register of Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs) and does not hold information on how many PEPs have been investigated, prosecuted, or convicted in relation to money laundering or bribery.The Money Laundering Regulations 2017 require businesses within the regulated sector (such as banks) to treat individuals who are entrusted with prominent public functions as PEPs, including members of a country’s legislative body. The Financial Conduct Authority provides guidance to businesses within the regulated sector on which customers should be regarded as PEPs under the Money Laundering Regulations, and how a proportionate risk-based based approach to these customers should be applied.

Victims' Commissioner: Public Appointments

Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to appoint a Victims Commissioner.

Lord Bellamy: A recruitment campaign to appoint the next Commissioner is underway and it is right that the new Lord Chancellor looks at this carefully. We hope to announce the outcome of the campaign as soon as possible.At both Ministerial and official level, we engage with the victims’ sector on a regular basis to ensure the voices of victims and witnesses are heard while the appointment of the next Victims’ Commissioner is being made.

Ministry of Justice: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyautomated decision-making systems currently in use by the Ministry of Justice are used (even partially) to make decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements; and how many of those have publicly available equality impact assessments and/or data protection impact assessments.

Lord Bellamy: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to PQ 194023: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2023-07-13/194023.However, none of the systems used in that response are used to make decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements.The Ministry of Justice has well established processes for completing Equality Impact Assessments and Data Protection Impact Assessments to ensure data processing is lawful, necessary, and proportionate.

Suicide

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the most common reasons for suicide cited in coroners' Prevention of Future Death reports for each year since 2015.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how manyPrevention of Future Deaths reports were issued in each of the past five years.

Lord Bellamy: With regard to the number of Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports published in each of the last five years, I refer to my answer to the noble Lord Watson of Wyre Forest on 4 July (UIN HL9054).The Government does not collate analysis of references to reasons for suicide in PFD reports.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrepresentations they have made to the UN in relation to the violence and atrocities in Sudan, in particular in Darfur; and what steps they are taking in response, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to international partners, including the US, Canada, Germany, and France, in relation to the situation in Sudan, in particular in Darfur; and what steps they are taking together in response, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns reports of targeted violence against specific groups in Darfur. We have raised these reports in international fora, including the UN Security Council (UNSC) and Human Rights Council. Most recently, at the 13 July UNSC meeting on the International Criminal Court's Sudan investigation, we welcomed the ICC Prosecutor's decision to commence investigations into the offences currently being committed in Darfur. The UK has released funding to organisations who are working with local partners to collect, verify and preserve digital content from the conflict, including incidents of significant abuses. This will play a vital role in amplifying the voices of those who are being targeted and would be permissible in future accountability mechanisms, should they be established. We continue to work with counterparts from African, Quad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US) and European countries to support efforts to end the violence, protect civilians and secure safe humanitarian access.

Qin Gang

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government when they were last in direct contact with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Permanent-Under-Secretary Sir Philip Barton met with former Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on 10 April 2023 during his visit to Beijing. The Foreign Secretary met Qin Gang on 2 March 2023 at the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in New Delhi.

Zimbabwe: Elections

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations have been made to the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that the Commonwealth will have election monitors in place in Zimbabwe before the elections on 23 August.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Minister for Development and Africa said to President Mnangagwa during their meeting on 5 May, it is important that the people of Zimbabwe can choose their government through peaceful and credible elections. Independent observation by international and domestic missions will play an important role in assessing electoral conduct against regional and international standards. The UK welcomes Zimbabwe's announcement that invitations have been sent to observer missions. The UK is supportive of the Commonwealth sending an electoral observation mission to Zimbabwe and FCDO is engaging closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth partners to that end, including on possible UK support.

Uzbekistan

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the visit to the UK by Bakhtiyor Saidov, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan, on 24 July, what priority areas were put forward in discussion by (1) Uzbekistan,(2) the UK; and when they anticipatethat a return visit will take place to Uzbekistan by the Foreign Secretary or another Secretary of State.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary met Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov on 24 July to discuss how to advance our interests together, and how we can build stronger cooperation. The UK is committed to working with Uzbekistan across our many shared priorities: security, trade, human rights, climate and the war in Ukraine. The Foreign Secretary's travel plans over the next year are yet to be decided, however he is committed to increasing ties with Uzbekistan. The Minister for Europe and Central Asia, Leo Docherty, visited Uzbekistan on 6 June and has since visited the four other Central Asian Republics.

Ukraine: Wheat

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking with international partners to protect global wheat supplies, following Russia’s withdrawal from the 2022 Black Sea grain deal.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The United Kingdom condemns in the strongest terms Russia's decision to withdraw from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and the Foreign Secretary has called on Russia to rejoin immediately. The UK will continue to explore options, with Ukraine and other partners, to enable Ukraine to continue exporting its grain. A NATO-Ukraine Council is being convened on 26 July to discuss Black Sea Security.

Peru: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political and security situation in Peru, following the mass demonstrations against the government of President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday 19 July.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We continue to monitor the political and security situation in Peru, including any implications arising from the public demonstrations that took place across Peru on 19 July. The UK welcomes President Boluarte's calls for peace and dialogue in the context of the recent protests. Our Embassy in Lima regularly discusses human rights and values issues with the Peruvian Government. We will continue to work with the Peruvian Government and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Peru to help Peru make progress towards sustainable and inclusive development with respect for human rights.

Mali: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political situation in Mali, following the adoption of a new constitution by the military government, which gives new presidential powers to determine government policy and dissolve parliament; and what is their assessment of the impact that this will have on the intended return to civilian rule in the presidential elections scheduled for February 2024.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The situation in Mali is continuing to deteriorate, with the increase in Wagner Group's presence, the associated rise in human rights abuses and violations, and the potential impacts of United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali's (MINUSMA) withdrawal. The authorities must deliver on their commitment to the political transition, with free, fair, transparent and inclusive presidential elections in February 2024, as endorsed by The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Summit of 3 July 2022. The UK remains ready to assist the Malian people towards a path of healing, reconciliation, and rebuilding for communities affected by human rights violations and abuses.

Myanmar: Internally Displaced People

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Myanmar following recent fighting which led to more than 1,000 Christians fleeing Nam San Yang in Kachin State.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the continued vulnerability of religious minorities in Myanmar, including in Kachin state. Although the UK has no political engagement with the military regime, we continue to publicly call for an end to the violence, including in multilateral fora. The UK has co-sponsored a number of UN Human Rights Council resolutions, including one in April, which condemned the regime's human rights violations and urged an end to discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities. On 21 December 2022 the UK coordinated a landmark UN Security Council Resolution which stressed the need for the protection of minority groups.

Kenya: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the human rights implications of the current political and security situation in Kenya, following the crackdown on the ongoing protests to the Kenyan government’s Finance Bill; and what action are they taking with international partners to urge an end to the current wave of violence and a resumption of talks between the government and the opposition.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regrets the loss of life and destruction of property during recent demonstrations in Kenya. The UK is following events closely and continues to urge all parties to engage in dialogue and resolve their differences peacefully. On 18 July, with partners, the British High Commission issued a statement calling for the cessation of violence and commencement of dialogue.

Ukraine: Prisoners of War

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the situation of access to Ukrainian prisoners of war by independent monitors and the International Red Cross.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Humanitarian organisations need security assurances from Russia to operate in frontline areas. The UK routinely calls for full compliance with International Humanitarian Law, including granting humanitarian access to prisoners of war and civilian detainees. As set out in the Third Geneva Convention, the International Committee of the Red Cross has the mandate to go wherever prisoners of war and civilian detainees are held and monitor their conditions of detention, their treatment, and share news with their families.

Darfur

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they have taken to prepare for summer recess period in August, when many officials are likely to be away from their posts, to continue monitoring the situation in Sudan, and in particular in Darfur, and to authorise any actions that many be necessary, in accordance with the 'responsibility to protect' principle.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In response to the outbreak of conflict on 15 April, the FCDO created an Enhanced Sudan Unit, bringing together a range of officials with different areas of relevant expertise, to work on the most pressing issues currently facing Sudan. Over the summer recess, the Enhanced Sudan Unit will continue to monitor the situation in Sudan and work with its UK, international and Sudanese partners to bring an end to hostilities, protect civilians and secure unfettered humanitarian access.

BBC Media Action: Finance

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding they have provided to BBC Media Action in each of the past ten years, and for what purpose; and how they assess BBC Media Action’s value, effectiveness, and operational range.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Between 2013 and 2022 FCDO and its predecessor departments provided BBC Media Action with £137 million (see table). This funding has supported work in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East. As media freedom is under threat globally, FCDO funding has enabled BBC Media Action to support independent media and public platforms for discussion, and to tackle misinformation and disinformation. Their work has improved people's access to health information, and helped them cope with effects of climate change, conflict and disasters. In Ukraine, FCDO funding to BBC Media Action has provided independent media with training, equipment and other types of support to enable them to keep reporting throughout the conflict.YearTotal funding (FCO, DFID, FCDO)2013£27.7m2014£25.7m2015£14.8m2016£20.5m2017£10.1m2018£7.6m2019£7.8m2020£8.6m2021£8.3m2022£6.1mTOTAL£137.2m

Libya: Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reports that Libya is arming the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan; and what representations they have made to the government of Libya about the flow of arms into Sudan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of and monitoring reports of Libya providing arms to the Rapid Support Forces. There is a longstanding UK arms embargo in place for the whole of Sudan, as well as a UN arms embargo on Darfur. These sanctions help prevent weapon flow into the country and encourage the resolution of armed conflict in, and stabilisation of, Sudan. In response to the ongoing conflict and deteriorating humanitarian situation in Sudan, on 12 July the Minister for Africa and Development also announced a package of six sanctions measures under the UK's Sudan (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020. These sanctions will freeze the assets of three commercial entities linked to each party involved in the conflict. These sanctions are designed to press the parties to engage in sustained and meaningful peace process, allow humanitarian access and commit to a permanent cessation of hostilities. We will continue to work with counterparts from African, Quad (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, UK, US) and European countries, the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the United Nations, to end the violence in Sudan.

Treasury

UK Trade with EU: Small Businesses

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to small and medium-sized factories in England and Wales to support them with extra costs from customs checks as a result of the UK's departure from the EU.

Baroness Penn: The 2025 UK Border Strategy sets out the Government’s vision for the UK border to be the most effective in the world. A border which embraces innovation and simplifies processes for traders, including small and medium sized manufacturers. To support businesses with the post-Brexit environment, HMRC has provided practical support to all sizes and types of businesses as they adapt to the new trading environment. This support includes comprehensive guidance on GOV.UK, as well as a range of other supportive information, including recorded webinars and short explainer videos. HMRC has invested in building capacity and capability in the Customs & International Trade Helpline and webchat service to ensure all sizes of businesses who need additional support are able to access it promptly. Small and medium sized businesses can also use HMRC’s ‘Import and exports general enquiries’ service for help with UK customs enquiries via online, webchat, phone and post.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government what Barnett consequentials were made available to the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years for which figures are available.

Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government howmuch unspent money were returned to HM Treasury by the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years for which figures are available.

Baroness Penn: Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grants, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since the devolution Acts. This provided £15 billion per year for the Northern Ireland Executive. The Block Grant Transparency document details the Barnett consequentials that have been provided to the Northern Ireland Executive in the last three years, as well as other changes to the block grant including surrenders1. The Northern Ireland Executive received the following Barnett consequentials: £2.3 billion in 2021-22, £1.8 billion in 2022-23 and £2 billion in 2023-24. The Northern Ireland Executive can utilise Budget Exchange at Supplementary Estimates each financial year to move planned or unexpected underspends between years. The Northern Ireland Executive accessed £40m of Budget Exchange in 2020-21, £134m in 2021-22, and £130m in 2022-23. This mechanism means that typically no, or very little, general resource or capital funding is returned to the Treasury at the end of the year. There was an increase in capital underspends during the COVID years and underspends in ringfenced resource spending are more common given the terms of those funding streams. The Northern Ireland Executive are well funded to deliver all their devolved responsibilities, receiving at least 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK. Block Grant Transparency: July 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)https://www.finance-ni.gov.uk/publications/estimates-publications

Department for Business and Trade

Trade Promotion

Lord Grocott: To ask His Majesty's Government who are the Trade Envoys; to which country each TradeEnvoy has been assigned; and what is the party affiliation of each Trade Envoy and the length of time in post.

Lord Johnson of Lainston: There are currently 36 Prime Minister’s Trade Envoys and information as below. CountryTrade EnvoyDate of PM Appointment LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEANColombia, Chile, Peru, ArgentinaMark Menzies MP (Con)September 2016 & September 2017 for ArgentinaPanama, Dominican Republic, Costa RicaBaroness Hooper of Liverpool (Con)October 2020BrazilMarco Longhi MP (Con)August 2021AFRICAAlgeriaLord Risby of Haverhill (Con)November 2012Uganda & Rwanda (watching brief for DRC)Lord Popat (Con)January 2016Egypt and CameroonSir Jeffrey Donaldson MP (DUP)January 2016 & August 2021 for CameroonNigeriaHelen Grant MP (Con)October 2020KenyaTheo Clarke MP (Con)Reappointed May 2023South Africa & MauritiusAndrew Selous MP(Con)September 2017 & January 2023 for MauritiusTanzaniaLord Walney (Non-Affiliated)August 2021GhanaBaroness Hoey (Non-Affiliated)August 2021Tunisia & LibyaYvonne Fovargue MP (Lab)March 2022Angola, Zambia & EthiopiaLaurence Robertson MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023MIDDLE EASTIsraelLord Austin of Dudley (Non-affiliated)October 2020IranLord Lamont of Lerwick (Con)January 2016LebanonLord Risby of Haverhill (Con)August 2019IraqBaroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)January 2014Jordan, Kuwait & Palestine TerritoriesBaroness Morris of Bolton (Con)November 2012UAEGareth Thompson MP (Con)March 2023 EECANAzerbaijan, Turkmenistan, KazakhstanBaroness Nicholson of Winterbourne (Con)April 2016 & Kazakhstan July 2017MongoliaDaniel Kawczynski MP (Con)October 2020UkraineBaroness Meyer (Con)October 2020TurkeyLord Hutton (Lab)May 2022EUROPESwitzerland & LiechtensteinSir Stephen Timms MP (Lab)August 2021Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia)Martin Vickers MP (Con)October 2020APACAustraliaLord Botham (Crossbench)August 2021TaiwanLord Faulkner (Lab)January 2016JapanGreg Clark MP (Con)May 2022Thailand, Myanmar, Brunei & VietnamMark Garnier MP (Con)October 2020 & for Vietnam January 2023SingaporeLord Sarfraz (Con)January 2022Republic of KoreaSir John Whittingdale (Con)May 2022Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines & ASEANRichard Graham MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023Cambodia & LaosHeather Wheeler MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023New ZealandDavid Mundell MP (Con)Reappointed March 2023SOUTH ASIABangladeshRushanara Ali MP (Lab)March 2016Sri LankaLord Mervyn Davies of Abersoch (Crossbench)October 2020  North America  CanadaDame Maria Miller MP (Con)May 2022USA (specific focus on driving trade promotion with existing MOU states)Sir Conor Burns MP (Con)May 2023

Department for Work and Pensions

Unemployment

Lord Hayward: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the unemployment percentage rates in each parliamentary constituency in April 2010; and what are the equivalent percentages per constituency for July 2023.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The estimated unemployment rates for the year to March 2010 and the year to December 2022 (the latest available data at a constituency level) are published and are given in the attached spreadsheet. As survey based estimates they are subject to sampling variation, which can be quite large for these small areas. The information requested is also available at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.aspGuidance for users can be found at: https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspAttachment (xlsx, 48.6KB)

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Artificial Intelligence

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government how many automateddecision-making systems are currently in use by the Cabinet Office to assist with making decisions that affect people’s legal rights or entitlements; and how many of those systems have publicly available equality impact assessments or data protection impact assessments or both.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I refer the noble Lord to the answer provided by the other House on 21st July to question UIN 194005. Automated decision making in Government is compliant with provisions in GDPR and the Data Protection Act, which includes the right for a data subject to request “a new decision that is not based solely on automated processing”.The Government has an Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework for Automated Decision-Making.

Legislation: Parliamentary Scrutiny

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 13 July (HL8938), which Acts of Parliament are presently undergoing post-legislative review; and which Acts are scheduled to enter the review process between now and the end of 2023.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: There are currently no Acts of Parliament undergoing post-legislative scrutiny. Acts of Parliament that received Royal Assent before 2019 are eligible for post-legislative scrutiny by the end of 2023. The Government has not announced whether any post-legislative scrutiny communications will be published between now and the end of 2023.

Covid-19 Inquiry: Immunosuppression

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask His Majesty's Government how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable,as distinct from the disabled, will be addressed in the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UK COVID-19 Inquiry is independent of the Government. The process, procedure and timing of the Inquiry are matters for the Chair, Baroness Hallett. On 16th January 2023 the Chair designated the group Clinically Vulnerable Families as a Core Participant for Module 3 of the Inquiry which covers healthcare systems in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It is for the Inquiry itself to provide any further detail on the important issue of how the needs of the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable will be addressed. The Government is committed to learning from the Covid-19 Inquiry’s findings which will play a key role in informing planning and preparations for the future; it continues to work closely with the Inquiry.

Ministry of Defence

Bosnia and Herzegovina: Armed Forces

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with international partners in respect of the possibility of deploying UK military personnel to support (1) EUFOR’s Operation Althea, or (2) NATO headquartersin Sarajevo.

Baroness Goldie: The UK Government regularly discusses maintaining stability in the Western Balkans with our NATO Allies and European partners. The UK provides support for EUFOR ALTHEA through NATO (the operation is carried out with recourse to NATO assets and capabilities) and coordinated bilateral exercising. The UK will support the renewal of EUFOR's UN Security Council mandate, due by November.The UK already has military personnel deployed to NATO's headquarters in Sarajevo.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to address the gaps inlearning for disabled children who need to be absent from school more often than their peers.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the provision of education for disabled children who have long periods of absence from schools.

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Children’s Commissioner report Beyond the labels: A SEND system which works for every child, every time, published in November 2022, which found that “children with SEND are overrepresented in terms of low attendance at school”, what plans they have to reform approaches to school attendance to incorporate the needs of disabled children.

Baroness Barran: Disabled children often face greater barriers to attending school than their peers, but the government is clear that the attendance ambition for these pupils should be the same as for any other pupil.The department’s new ‘Working together to improve school attendance’ guidance (attached) sets expectations on schools to be mindful of the barriers that disabled children face and put in place additional support where necessary to access full-time education, including making reasonable adjustments (for example, to uniforms or school routines). The department’s attendance hubs, mentors and advisor programmes will help schools to meet these expectations.Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable education for children of compulsory school age who, because of health reasons including long-term illness, would otherwise not receive suitable education. The department’s statutory guidance, ‘Ensuring a good education for children who cannot attend school because of health needs’ (attached), sets out clear expectations of local authorities to meet this duty including that the education provided is of good quality.The attached Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Improvement Plan and the Children’s Social Care Implementation Strategy, detail commitments to providing stronger support for disabled children. This includes a Law Commission review of children’s social care legislation for disabled children and a £30 million investment in innovative approaches to short breaks for disabled children. Improved attendance will be a key outcome in the new SEND and AP inclusion dashboards and in the new performance framework for AP. Information on the implementation strategy is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/childrens-social-care-stable-homes-built-on-love.health needs guidance  (pdf, 244.2KB)SEND AP plan (pdf, 1767.4KB)School attendance guidance  (pdf, 595.0KB)

Childcare

Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government whatestimate they have made of the number of families who will take up 30 hours of funded childcare from September 2025; and what is that number as a percentage of all children from nine months to the start of school.

Baroness Barran: The department provides annual estimates of the take-up rate of the existing three and four-year-old 30 hours entitlement, after subtracting reception children from the population estimates. This information is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-provision-children-under-5.The department recently released a costings information note, with information on estimated take-up rates amongst younger children eligible for the new entitlements announced at Spring Budget. This can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-methodology. The take-up is estimated to be between around 30% and 90%, with variation substantially driven by parents’ likelihood of using formal childcare depending on the age of their child. This file also contains data on population projections by age of child for the 2024/25 financial year and beyond.The attached document shows information on eligibility for entitlements including the department’s eligibility estimate for the existing three- and four-year-old extended hours for working parents entitlement.The census data and Spring Budget forecasting use numbers of children. The department does not hold data to easily convert these estimates to the numbers of families.Costing information note (pdf, 172.5KB)

Students: Loans

Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of graduateshave not reached the salary level to start repaying their student loan.

Baroness Barran: The exact information is not readily available or held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The department can provide the following information, which was published on 15 June 2023, in the Student Loans in England (for financial year 2022/23) publication available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-loans-in-england-2022-to-2023/student-loans-in-england-financial-year-2022-23.The figures below classify borrowers with income contingent loans by their known status as of 30 April 2023. Until their loan balance is fully repaid or cancelled, borrowers can move into and out of any of the statuses.As of 30 April 2023, of those who reached their repayment date between financial years 2000/01 to and including 2021/22, with at least one tax year processed, 18.8% are UK residents in live employment and not required to pay and 1.2% are residents outside of the UK and have not reached the repayment threshold for that country.From those remaining, 25.3% have fully paid off their loans and 41.9% are repaying. A further 0.8% and 2.1% are currently in the UK tax system and marked as currently having no live employment at HMRC for fewer than 90 days or 90 days or longer, respectively, and 0.4% are awaiting first year tax return to determine if they earn above the threshold. A further 7% are known to be in the UK but not in the UK tax system and their status does not require repayment at this point. A further 1.5% reside outside of the UK and either have no details of income or are not currently repaying and their repayment status is being sought. Finally, 1% are not resident in the UK and have defaulted in arrears. This information is available via the attachment.The figures included can be found in Table 3A(i)(ii) of the release is available via the attachment.HL9717_Student_Loans_Data (pdf, 942.1KB)HL9717_Data_Table (xlsx, 302.7KB)

Childcare

Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate theyhave made of the additional number of two-year-olds who will access funded childcare hours from April 2024; and what is this number as a percentage of all two-year-old children.

Baroness Twycross: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made ofthe additional number of children aged (1) nine months to one year, and (2) one to two years, who will access funded childcare hours from September 2024; and what is this number as a percentage of all children aged nine months to two years.

Baroness Barran: The department recently released a costings information note, with information on estimated take-up rates for funded childcare hours. The costings information note can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-entitlements-and-funding. The department estimates that take-up would be between around 30% and 90%, with variation substantially driven by parents’ likelihood of using formal childcare depending on the age of their child. This file also contains data on population projections by age of child.For the purposes of calculating costs, the department has estimated a take-up rate for each age group of eligible children:Take-up by two-year-olds would be at the higher end of the range, based on take up of existing entitlements offers for three- and four-year-olds (around 75%)Take-up by one-year-olds would be in the middle of this range (around 60%)Take-up by children aged 9-12 months would be at lower end of the range, based on low use of formal childcare (around 35%) The department separately publishes information on eligibility for entitlements through the ‘Education provision: children under 5 years of age’ (section five on Data Quality) document, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/education-provision-children-under-5-years-of-age-methodology. This document includes the department’s eligibility estimate for the existing three- and four-year-old extended hours for working parents’ entitlement. Take-up rates and numbers for existing entitlements are also detailed at this link annually from the department’s spring censuses.